John Heard (born March 7, 1945) is an American actor.
Heard was born in Washington, D.C. to John and Helen Heard. He finished high school at Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C., then went on to graduate from Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts. It took several years before his career progressed. He acted Off-Broadway, winning Obie Awards for his performances in Othello and Split in 1979-80.
In the late 1970s, Heard was playing small roles in television and film. In 1979 he played Arthur Dimmesdale in a television production of The Scarlet Letter, and the male lead in the film Head Over Heels. In 1981, Heard had the starring role as Alex Cutter in the film Cutter's Way. In 1984, Heard portrayed photographer George Cooper in C.H.U.D. (Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers)along side "Home alone" co-star Daniel Stern. Heard had a notable role playing Paul, Tom Hank's adult corporate competitor and jilted boyfriend of Elizabeth Perkins in the 1988 movie BIG. He also starred in Gladiator opposite to Cuba Gooding JR.
In 1990, Heard starred in the philosophical film Mindwalk and was featured in the hugely successful comedy Home Alone (and also starred in its 1992 sequel, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York). In 1993 he played FBI agent Gavin Verheek in the Pelican Brief. He also played next to Samuel L. Jackson in 1997's One Eight Seven. Heard has also had roles on The Sopranos as crooked cop Vin Makazian, and on Battlestar Galactica as Commander Barry Garner. He has also had recurring roles on CSI: Miami (as Kenwall 'Duke' Duquesne, father of Calleigh Duquesne) and Prison Break (as Frank Tancredi, Governor of Illinois and father of Sara Tancredi). In 2007, he starred in the independent feature film "P.J." (http://www.pjthemovie.com - co-starring with Vincent Pastore and Robert Picardo).
Heard was married for one year to actress Margot Kidder. He has a son with actress and former girlfriend Melissa Leo. He also had two children with his former wife, Sharon Heard.
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